Dissonant Tune
by corrodedstar
Summary: Yullen AU. Kanda is ordered to protect a mysterious, snowy-haired boy. The rules to this world are clear: "Don't get attached to anyone, don't let anyone get attached to you,"  but despite the danger it will bring, Kanda is drawn to his secrets and pain.
1. Tears in the Rain

**Summary:** Amidst a harsh world ruled by power, Kanda Yuu is ordered to protect a mysterious, snowy-haired boy from an unknown enemy. The rules to this world are clear: "Don't get attached to anyone, don't let anyone get attached to you." But Kanda can't help being drawn to this boy's secrets and pain, despite the danger that it will certainly bring.

Yullen, AU in a steampunk fantasy world. Or something like that. xD

**IMPORTANT! (for some people) **I decided on making this a series after all. xD So if you read Dissonant Tune while it was a one-shot, what was previously the first chapter has been moved to the second, and a prologue has been added. That's why this chapter is so pitifully short. But somehow I didn't want to put both the prologue and the first chapter on one page.

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><p>...<p>

**Prologue: Tears in the Rain**

…

_This is a dream_._ I know this is a dream... because there are no such things as angels._

The boy in front of him must certainly be an angel – his soft, snowy hair that glowed in the faint moonlight in such an ethereal way, his gentle, pain-filled silver eyes, the red scar that trailed down his cheek like fresh blood… No human could be that beautiful. No human could hold that much sorrow. Surely, he would break.

_He…l…p… _The words were unspoken, but they lingered in the air along with the unending clatter of raindrops. The boy lifted his face, which was streaked with rain, and turned to Kanda with the desperate plea on his lips before he began to fade and disappear with the gray of the sky.

"Wait!" Kanda reached his hand out. _He couldn't let him go. For some reason, he couldn't just let this boy go._ His fingertips brushed against that soft hair once, tantalizingly, before a sudden gust of wind blew Kanda away. The boy's face suddenly contorted in stricken fear and horror, and an anguished scream left his lips.

"_Stay away! Just stay away!"_

And then he disappeared with the roar of thunder and the clash of lightning, carried away by the storm, as Kanda sank to his knees in disbelief, unaware of the cold rain that soaked into his clothing. A single word, a single thought. "Wh...y…?"

…

A hollow pain filled Kanda's chest as his eyes flew open, chasing the remnants of the dream away.

It was just a dream, he told himself. Nothing more.

Slowly, he sat up, lifting a hand to his face and trying to recall the contents of the strange dream. Pain… a storm… he concentrated, but he couldn't remember. Sighing, he closed his eyes again in resignation. Perhaps it wasn't important after all. A stray thought drifted into his sinking consciousness before he fell back asleep.

_Next time, I'll definitely save him_.

Save who?

_Who…? I… I can't remember._

…

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><p>...<p>

Yeah. That's it. xD Keep reading tho because actual stuff happens, I swear.


	2. Fragments of a Dream

**Important! **(for some people): If you read Dissonant Tune while it was a one-shot, this is the rewritten version of it. The first chapter is now a prologue, which I added.

To the very, very nice people who reviewed and encouraged me to make this a series, I'm totally grateful to all of you. But sometimes I can't think of anything but something derpy like "Thank you so much, hope you like the story!" so I don't reply to all of them individually. But that's what I think for all time. xD So I'm saying this now.

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><p>...<p>

**Fragments of A Dream**

...

_The world is a harsh place._ So thought Kanda Yuu as he strode briskly through the crowded street, never once turning his head or looking back; his eyes were focused only on the path in front of him as if deaf to the throngs of beggars and travelers and merchants shouting their wares, blind to the dangers of crumbling walls and rotting wood doors. In this sort of world, if you wanted to live, the only person you could afford to take care of was yourself.

Here, it was no surprise to see violence and death; people dying of hunger and cold, bloody and beaten, maimed beyond help… they were everywhere. Thus, it was unusual when a flash of silvery white and bright red caught his eye, and it was even more unusual when he looked up to see what it was. He scanned the crowd quickly and located his target – a relatively young boy, it seemed, with strange snowy-white hair that seemed soft and wispy as feathers and glistened in the sunlight in an almost ethereal way. A small black cross on his hand indicated that he was some sort of magic-user. A dull red tattoo – scar? birthmark? – trailed along the left side of his face, but it was not as immediately striking as the splotches and streaks of bright red blood and the deep bruises that seemed to cover his entire body. From the colors, all of them were fresh; Kanda suspected that many, many older wounds were hidden underneath. The boy was unconscious, but the severity of his injuries made even Kanda shudder. He should be dead. He would be dead. It was no less than a miracle that he was still alive, even if he was some sort of witch or sorcerer.

Still focused on the boy, it took Kanda a few moments to notice the burly men around him, one of whom was carrying the boy over his shoulder as if he were a sack of flour despite his injuries. The men had alert eyes and well-trained bodies; the quality of their armor indicated that they were elite guards. Or mercenaries. Kanda's mouth thinned. It was a testament to the inhumanity of those dirty aristocrats that they could spend so much money to torture one child, and not even a particularly dangerous one, if his small, slender frame was anything to judge by.

Something in him stirred: annoyance, perhaps, or maybe rebelliousness. Either way, in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, he decided to knock out the guards.

It was hardly a match. He had the element of surprise and a better weapon; a sword like Mugen couldn't be found anywhere in the world. Kanda was also faster and stronger, and the men barely had time to react before he sliced at the one closest to him, ripping into his flesh. That one staggered a bit before collapsing; he'd be dead by nightfall if he didn't get serious treatment. The other two men quickly drew their broadswords, but Kanda knocked away one of the weapons with his own while elbowing the man in the stomach. The heavily armored guards and their bulky weapons wouldn't be able to maneuver as well in the narrow streets, and Kanda knew that. So did they – they weren't professionals for nothing. Cursing, the both of them dropped their weapons and fled, unceremoniously dumping the boy on the ground.

With an irritated sigh, Kanda briskly wiped the blood off his sword on the uniform of the fallen mercenary and sheathed it before approaching the injured young boy to check his wounds. He turned him over carefully, wiping away the blood with the thin, ragged shirt that the boy was wearing, but there was too much for the threadbare cotton to absorb, and he eventually had to resort to using his own coat. It wasn't anything new, anyways – his clothes had seen plenty of blood already.

After a cursory examination, he concluded that the boy probably had no broken bones or internal bleeding, but his body was covered with deep slash wounds from bladed weapons, burn marks from various ropes and chains, and bruises of every color possible. His breathing was shallow and ragged, but at least it was relatively steady, as was his heartbeat. Gently, so as not to agitate the wounds, Kanda picked him up and walked as quickly as he could without jarring the body. His house wasn't too far away – it was close enough to the slums that no one gave a second look to his blood-stained clothes, though the boy's white hair attracted enough unwanted attention.

Without too much incident, he arrived as his doorstep, kicking the wooden entrance impatiently. It burst open; he'd left it unlocked, as there wasn't anything to steal anyways. Swiftly and efficiently, he set the body down on the couch and gathered several rolls of bandages as well as a few towels and some first-aid supplies. There was still plenty of clean water in the storage jars, so he wouldn't have to go the well – it was close enough normally, but time was of the essence at the moment. Cutting away the scraps of what had once been the boy's shirt, he quickly wiped off the remaining blood and applied bandages where he could. The deeper gashes would have been better off with stitches, but Kanda was no doctor, and he didn't think it would be wise to bring the boy to a hospital. He sighed and left them as they were, knowing that bandages would probably only aggravate the wounds. As an afterthought, he grabbed an extra blanket and threw it over the kid. It wouldn't do to have him die of cold, either.

Satisfied that he had done enough, Kanda threw off his dirty coat and went to the kitchen to light the stove and warm the house before the night chill settled in. He set a kettle of water on top to boil for tea later before drawing a bath for himself. The water was cold, but he didn't care; he only used warm water to bathe when he was seriously injured or sick.

After vigorously scrubbing off all the dirt and blood, he got out and dressed quickly before dumping the dirty water into the drain. The kettle had started whistling, and he took it off the stove and poured the water into a teapot that he had already prepared with leaves and several herbs. He opened the cupboard and grabbed two plain, wooden teacups, though he doubted that the boy would wake up for tea anyways. Nonetheless, he poured the tea into both cups before setting the kettle back on the stove. A low creak and the sound of rustling cloth alerted him, and Kanda quickly wiped his hands once on his shirt before walking back to the other room to check on his guest.

Much to Kanda's surprise, the young boy was indeed awake. His eyes were feverish and unfocused, though, and a light sweat covered his forehead. His skin was unnaturally pale, too, and he had shadows under his eyes. Definitely still sick. With strained determination, the slender boy forced his body to sit up, causing a fresh trail of blood to trickle down his pale skin. "Away…" he mumbled in an agonized tone. "Have… to…"

Irritated, Kanda sighed and walked over, pushing his head until he was lying back down properly like an injured person ought to. "What," he asked with a glare, "are you doing? If you want to die, I won't stop you, but you ought to at least have the decency to respect the ridiculous amount of work I had to do to save you."

The boy blinked slowly, not registering what was going on. "Who… are you? Where… where am I?" His voice was weak, no surprise, but it was surprising pleasant and clear.

Kanda scowled. "Normally, the first thing you do is tell me your name, right? Who the hell are you, anyways?"

The boy gazed at him in confusion with bleary eyes for a few minutes before he finally seemed to understand what Kanda had said. "Allen…" He said simply, his ragged voice trailing off. Speaking was already too tiring; he closed his eyes. Within minutes, he was asleep again, though his breathing seemed less labored this time.

After checking the boy – Allen's – pulse, Kanda left again and grabbed his tea from the kitchen, feeling a headache coming on. He set the other teacup on top of the stove to keep it warm before heading to his bedroom and sinking heavily into the soft mattress. That was one indulgence he allowed himself; the better he slept, the safer he would be when awake.

Not ready to rest yet, Kanda grabbed some papers to read, but his thoughts quickly drifted away from the words as he sipped his tea. What was he going to do with the strange boy? First, he had to find out what the aristocrats had wanted with him. He would ask Tiedoll, his foster father and a wealthy merchant, if he knew anything. If anything was afoot, Tiedoll would know. He turned his attention back to the important documents he had in hand, but he still wasn't able to read properly, and before he knew it he had drifted off to sleep.

A thump in the middle of the night woke Kanda. He cursed himself for being so careless as to fall asleep accidentally before slipping out of bed and rushing to the source of the noise. Unsurprisingly, it was the injured boy. Allen, his name was. He was standing by the door, ready to open it and leave when Kanda found him, and inappropriate as it was for the situation, Kanda couldn't help thinking of bean sprouts as he noticed in full the boy's small, skinny frame. He wondered why he hadn't seen it before. Probably all the blood and other distractions.

"Where are you going?"

The bean sprout glanced at him with a quick, polite smile. "Thank you for taking care of me. I'll be taking my leave now."

Kanda sighed irritably. This kid talked like a book or something. He had to admit, though, the boy's voice was smooth and soft, almost like music. It was pleasant to listen to – or at least it would be if Kanda wasn't so annoyed. "Look," he said, trying to use reason rather than force for once in his life, "you're injured. You should stay until you recover."

"I can't do that."

A tic appeared on Kanda's face. So much for reason. "Look, bean sprout, you will stay here or I will take your sorry ass and tie it to the couch until you get better."

The boy frowned. "That's rather unpleasant."

Kanda gritted his teeth. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave, anyways?"

"You don't need to know." The boy turned his eyes – now that Kanda looked at them, they were an almost enchanting shade of silver – back to the door. Almost inaudibly, he murmured, "You don't want to know."

This conversation was dragging on for too long. Kanda's already thin patience snapped, and without a word of warning, he grabbed the thin bean sprout by the arm and threw him over his shoulder despite the protests. Along the way, he remembered the tea from earlier and grabbed that as well before proceeding to dump the boy on the mattress in his bedroom, which was fitted with a very durable lock. Still irritated, Kanda exhaled heavily. "Listen, kid. I don't know who the hell you are, but you'd better stay until you're decently healed, alright? Or else Tiedoll will string me up for being a heartless bastard," he added with a mutter.

Reminded of the boy's injuries, he glanced at the more severe slash wounds on his chest, only to frown. They were far from healed, but they had already begun to knit together in a way that should have taken at least two or three days. Unconsciously, Kanda's thoughts flew to the mark on his own chest. The bean sprout's healing rate wasn't as fast as his own, but…

"I don't die easily, you know." The bean sprout laughed lightly. It sounded more like polite laughter than any real humor, no doubt intended to appease him. "I'm cursed, after all." The last statement was probing, almost as if the boy were trying to gauge Kanda's response.

Kanda's first reaction was to snort dismissively, but he froze as a familiar feeling tingled in his gut. He had a strong sense of intuition that had saved him more times than he could count, and this boy reeked of danger. There was no reason to involve himself with the boy any further. He thought it was probably better not to. He glanced at the bean sprout, who was still waiting for Kanda's response.

"I'm cursed," the boy repeated. In what seemed like an offhand motion, he casually hooked a lock of his snowy hair behind his ear, revealing for a split second a red pentacle that extended from the scar on the left side of his face. His bangs quickly fell back into place, but Kanda knew that the motion had been deliberate. He made an irritated noise. This boy really was more trouble than he was worth; he wondered why he didn't just kick him out. It wasn't as if Tiedoll could bug him that much.

"Curses, I don't care about. But you'd better tell me who's after you, and why. From the looks of your injuries, someone wants you dead."

Allen raised an eyebrow and crossed his legs into a comfortable sitting position, blowing on the tea absently. "A lot of people want me dead. A lot of them want me alive, too, but those usually just want to make me dead."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "They aren't happy with me." He flashed a smile as if he expected Kanda to laugh.

"Clever," Kanda scowled, his tone sarcastic. He sensed that he wasn't going to get any more out of the irritating kid, though, and lay down in a huff. "Whatever. Just get some sleep, bean sprout."

"You aren't going to kick me out of the room, even? I thought you were more of a cautious person." Allen asked, his tone full of humor. Kanda didn't miss the subtle warning that lay in the light-hearted comment.

"You're not even worth considering," he rolled his eyes, but something about the way the boy had said it made him wary. "If you tried to harm me, I could have you knocked out in a heartbeat."

"No…" came the low half-whisper. "I think you really ought to reconsider." Kanda froze. In a split second, Allen had already pinned down both of his hands and placed an icy cold hand on his throat, his face so close to Kanda's that his hair hanging down touched Kanda's face. He narrowed his eyes and glared, but the boy simply gave a small smile and released him, sitting back upright without looking at Kanda as he continued to sip his tea. "I'm dangerous, you know. You understand that, right?" He drew his knees up before him, resting his chin on them.

"Cheeky brat," Kanda muttered, a cold thrill of fear suddenly invading his body. The fact that his voice had suddenly become dry did not escape his notice. "What did you want to accomplish by doing that, anyways?"

Allen glanced at him and smiled slightly again. "Nothing much, really. You should just be more careful." Stupid brat, telling that to him of all people. "I won't do anything. I owe you that much."

"Tch." Kanda scowled and turned over, away from the boy, unsure of how to respond. All of a sudden, he had lost the upper hand. Irritated, he closed his eyes.

"It's alright. I'll leave tomorrow." The words were almost inaudible. "So it's better if you don't remember my name… There's no need for me to learn yours, either." Surprised, Kanda's eyes flew open, and he realized that indeed, the boy had never asked for his name.

There was the sound of cloth rustling as Allen also slipped underneath the covers, but before he lay down, he leaned over and pressed his slightly dry lips lightly against Kanda's forehead. Kanda would have reacted, but he suddenly found himself settling into a heavy darkness. _That bastard, he used some sort of sleep spell on me. So he does have magic after all._

"Good night," the boy whispered, his voice carrying a sweet sadness that somehow reminded Kanda of something forgotten.

_I'll definitely save him this time, he had promised._

_Save him? Save who? I can't remember..._

_I can't remember._

Allen watched as his spell took hold and Kanda fell into a deep sleep. He wouldn't wake up for at least twelve hours; that was plenty of time for him to leave. Absently, he ran his fingers through his hair as he glanced at Kanda's face, oddly peaceful in sleep. He half-smiled. In a way, just by being here, he was breaking his own rule. _Don't get attached to anyone, and don't let anyone get attached to you_. That was the one thing he had no choice but to stand by, but perhaps, just this once, he would be allowed a few fleeting moments of peace. He let one finger trace the soft contours of Kanda's face.

Gently, almost tenderly, he wrapped his arms around the person who had thought to save him even after he himself had long given up hope. The warmth from Kanda's back soaked into his own body, and he smiled. It had been a while since he had felt the touch of human warmth. He kissed Kanda's forehead one more time, softly, before letting himself drift off as well. _Good night_, he thought. _If all goes well, we'll never meet again._

He cut off his thoughts as a familiar pain began to echo in his chest.

It hurt, but it was the best way.

He would have to leave as soon as dawn broke. With a sigh, Allen went to sleep.

…

The next morning, Kanda woke with a start. The rays of the sun had already begun to fill the room; it was late. There was no one else in the room, and the house suddenly felt huge, empty. Just to make sure, he ran to the living room where the couch was. There was not a single stain of blood anywhere, not even on the coat that he had worn the day before. It was too clean. Slowly, he walked into the kitchen. The kettle was on the stove where he had left it, but the fire had long gone out. The only thing that indicated that yesterday night hadn't been some sort of dream was the second teacup that rested almost forlornly on the table, a ways away from Kanda's.

Numbly, Kanda pulled the chair and sat down. The whole series of events was too strange to be real. He put a hand to his head slowly. Maybe it had just been a dream. The eerie silence of the house seemed to whisper to him, though. _It wasn't a dream_. He could feel it, a hollow pain in his chest. The feeling of loss. Over a stranger? It was odd.

He shook his head. He had other things to worry about, and the disappearance was a good thing; that kid had definitely been dangerous. Slowly, he got up again and walked back to his room to read the papers that he had ignored the day before.

The disappearance of the odd boy was a good thing, he told himself.

Maybe they would meet again. Or maybe not.

_The world is a harsh place_. The only person he could afford to care about was himself. That was what he told himself.

_Who was it that I wanted to save?_

_..._

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><p>And that's the end of the chapter. xD<p>

Anyways, hope you liked it. :3 Some of you may have read it already, although I made a few changes. Even so, please review! xD Especially if you liked it. Which I hope you did.

Cough. So yeah. Look forward to the next chapter, then? I guess. xD


	3. The Price of that Wish

**The Price of That Wish**

…

"_So you agree?"_

"…_it's not as if I have a choice, is it?"_

"_You could always run."_

"_I've tried that."_

_A dark smile. "That's certainly true. How did you like it?"_

_No response._

"_That's right, isn't it? There's no place to run. You will never escape. From the moment you cast that accursed spell, you bound both your body and your soul to this fate, to this misery."_

"…_I know that already."_

"_Don't worry. It could be worse; you could have fallen to the other side. At least I have the decency to allow you to die."_

"_Eventually." A bitter laugh._

"_That's right, eventually. But not now." Not until there's no longer any use for you, at least._

…

Two days had already passed, and Kanda hadn't seen any sign of the bean sprout from before. The papers that he had tried to read still lay by his bed, untouched. He hadn't had the heart to read them, but it was probably fine, he reasoned.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts, and he grudgingly rose out of his chair to open the door. He was in a bad mood, and he hoped that whoever was outside would be someone he could murder safely. His hopes were dashed – it was Daisya, his foster brother.

He stepped outside with sword in hand, but Daisya, recognizing his murderous irritation, quickly sidestepped the blade with a cheerful "Yo!" before swinging an arm around his neck in greeting, effectively locking his movement. Kanda glared.

"Sheesh, Kanda, you could at least greet your beloved brother with a bit more affection or something." Kanda's only response was to continue glaring.

"Alright, alright," Daisya hastily retreated, laughing. "So, are you ready?"

"Ready? For what?"

Daisya looked at him blankly. "For what…? The mission, of course."

Kanda immediately recalled the papers at his bedside. "Explain. Now." The blade of his sword flashed forward to greet Daisya's face threateningly.

"What? So you mean to say that _the_ Kanda, _Kanda Yuu, _didn't read the job detail? This is abs—"

"You have one minute, Daisya. No, thirty seconds."

"Okay, okay! You're touchy today." Daisya gave him a look of mock disapproval. "We're supposed to guard to the main house for a couple of months or something. Tiedoll's direct orders."

"The main house? We have to live there?" Kanda made an exasperated noise; he hated living in his foster father's extravagant, "art"-filled mansion. "What could possibly be so important?"

Daisya shrugged. "Beats me. We'll know when we get there, so hurry up."

Kanda shot him one last scowl before grabbing his coat and gliding out the door, leaving Daisya to catch up with him. Even walking as quickly as they were, the trip to the main house took several hours, and Kanda's sullen mood kept even the talkative Daisya quiet. The short man still couldn't resist making a couple of snide, whispered comments, but Kanda chose to ignore those.

Upon reaching the mansion, one of the footmen spotted them and quickly alerted several of the servants inside. Within moments, a butler had scurried to the door before stopping to adjust his bow tie and bowing elegantly. Wordlessly, he escorted the pair through several hallways until they reached the ornate door that led to the music room, where he called, "Master Tiedoll, they've arrived."

The heavy door opened just a crack, and Tiedoll poked his head out delightedly. "Kanda! Daisya! I haven't seen you since before my last trip to Barcelona!"

Kanda's face twitched. "Skip the useless commentary and tell us why the hell we're here, old man."

Tiedoll gave him a pitiful look in response, and Kanda backed away slowly in irritation. Finally, the old man relented and sighed. "They're Leverrier's orders, actually. Top priority. We're taking care of a certain boy who is to masquerade as a servant here. A pianist, in fact. Your job is to protect him."

From what? Kanda thought, but he simply made a noncommittal noise and moved to open the door. Before he could, though, Tiedoll stopped him.

"Kanda…"

"What is it now?"

"Be nice to him, okay? Daisya, you too, but Kanda especially." Kanda looked at the old man suspiciously, but Tiedoll just shrugged. "He's been through a lot. Besides, you need practice in being nice."

That was the last straw. Kanda's patience snapped, and he pushed past Tiedoll and kicked the door, which flung open and hit the wall behind with a loud _bang_, revealing the bright chandeliers and the ivory piano inside.

Kanda froze.

The boy sitting at the piano had his back turned and was speaking to himself, but there was no mistaking that snowy hair and melodious voice. At the sound of the door, he turned around to see what had happened, and the shock that flitted across his face must have matched Kanda's. Several other things entered his silver eyes – horror, fear… resignation? – and Kanda scowled. Was it really such a bad thing to see him?

Just as quickly, Allen rearranged his face into a composed smile and said as if they had never met before, "Good morning. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

He still hadn't asked for Kanda's name.

Kanda's face twitched. "What do you mean, make my acquaintance? We—"

"Kaaanda! What did I just say?" Tiedoll groaned, almost tackling his foster son as Kanda's eyes widened in surprise. He shot a look at the bean sprout sitting at the piano that said _this is not over, brat!_ before turning back to yell at the old man. In the midst of the commotion, Allen quietly slipped out of the room from the exit on the other side and sighed, resigned.

It was probably his punishment for daring to break that rule.

The echoes of angry yelling could still be heard even as he entered the kitchen. He glanced around curiously – it was a much bigger kitchen than any he'd seen before. The mouthwatering smells prompted an eager rumbling response from his stomach, and he heartily agreed. "Is there any food?" He asked.

A couple of the cooks looked up and recognized him. "Oh! Master… Walker, right?" One of the girls blushed furiously, and he tilted his head. "Um, yes, yes, there's plenty of food… Tiedoll had it prepared for you already."

"Really?" His eyes lit up. "How thoughtful of him." He gave her a grateful smile. "Just Allen is fine, really."

"Oh! Um, yes. Right." She gestured at a door across the room. "It's all in there."

Without a moment's hesitation, Allen crossed the wide distance between him and the precious, precious food and opened the door. He gasped in delight – there really _was_ enough for him here. Heaps upon heaps of heavenly delight. He didn't waste any time looking and dug in.

Even as he ate, though, the memory of Kanda's shocked face wormed its way into his thoughts, and he sighed just as he was about to lift another bite of steak into his mouth. He set his fork down heavily, his appetite suddenly gone. Reluctantly, he got up and made his way into the halls, wandering around the huge mansion slowly. Within minutes, he was lost.

Just as he was about to give up, he heard the unmistakable sound of Kanda's frustrated yell, and he quickly hurried over. From behind a wall, he saw Daisya being ejected from Kanda's with unusual vehemence and a stream of angry invectives. When the sound of Daisya's footsteps had faded, he cautiously made his way over to the door, glancing around to make sure that there were no passersby. He couldn't afford to make another mistake. Finally satisfied, he turned the knob and pushed at the polished oak as carefully as he could.

Kanda was sitting on his bed, his eyes closed and his crossed behind his head in a makeshift pillow. At the sound of the door opening, he scowled and opened one eye. "Daisya, I told— Oh." His scowl deepened as he noticed Allen. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing…" Allen hesitated. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't actually sure how to go about doing what he needed to do.

"Well, if you have something to say, don't just stand there," Kanda snapped, but he eventually sighed and gave up his angry tone. "Oh, whatever. You'd better have a good reason for what happened before, bean sprout."

Allen shrugged and pasted on a smile as he sat down next to Kanda cautiously. "I guess you took my advice."

"Advice? What advice?" Kanda was still annoyed.

"Not to remember my name."

"Tch. It's not as if I was listening to you. You're just too stupid for me to bother with. Being a bean sprout is fine. Besides, it's not as if you've asked for mine."

"Yours?"

"My _name_."

Allen was quiet. "It's better if I don't know," he said finally, looked down at his hands.

"What?"

"I can't say anything about what I don't know."

Irritated, Kanda grabbed the boy's wrist and looked straight into his surprised eyes. "Look, bean sprout," he glared, "a name isn't all there is to a person. Even if you get caught in some weird trouble and someone asks about me, you still know _me_. You could still tell them about _me_, even if you don't know my name. So suck it up and stop acting like a whiny girl. My name is Kanda Yuu, understand? But I'll stab you if you call me Yuu. Kanda. It's Kanda."

Allen searched his face for any sign of hesitation, but there was none. For a second, Allen himself almost believed that everything would be alright. Even if he did allow himself to get close. But that was impossible. With a small smile, he sighed. "Alright, then… Kanda. I'm sorry."

"What is there to be sorry about? Don't act like you did anything to me – they were all my own choices, and I'll be damned if I let anyone else decide what happens to me."

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm saying sorry."

Kanda narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on Allen's wrist. "You're not thinking of doing anything funny to me again, are you?"

"Funny, huh…" Allen murmured in a resigned voice. He leaned in towards him, lifting his other hand and brushing one finger against Kanda's face. "I didn't want to. I wanted you to remember me." He took a deep breath as he laid his lips softly against Kanda's face .

"Wha—" Kanda's eyes widened for a second, but they quickly became blank and closed softly as he was pushed into a deep sleep.

"Sorry," Allen whispered to him. "I broke a rule. I got attached. This is my punishment, not yours. You won't remember anything from that day. It'll be fine." He let his hand run through Kanda's silky black hair one more time before he straightened up and quietly left the room.

The hallway was dark, and Allen took another deep breath before he stepped out into the shadows. He had just rounded the corner when a cold, predatory voice issued from behind. The blood in his veins chilled, and he turned around slowly with dread.

"Allen Walker." Leverrier's eyes rested on the door to Kanda's room for a fleeting second before returning to Allen's face. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," he heard himself answer, the blood pounding in his ears. "I could ask the same of you… sir."

Leverrier raised an eyebrow. "Were you visiting Kanda Yuu?"

"… perhaps. It's not really any of your business, is it?"

The wolfish man snorted. "If you want a momentary illusion of happiness, it's none of my business. As long as you remember that you can't escape." He stared at Allen with a threatening intensity. "You can't escape, Allen."

"I know." He gritted his teeth.

"You are mine. You are nothing but a tool, a curse."

"_I know!_" He all but shouted before turning and storming down the dim hall.

Behind him, Leverrier smiled just a bit, a flash of his sharp teeth gleaming even in the scarce light.

…

When Kanda Yuu awoke, it was already nightfall. Slowly, he sat up, his head still unclear. He felt as if something was missing somehow. Absently, his fingers brushed against his face as if the action would make him remember something. Vague, unclear thoughts and memories swirled around in his mind.

_Next time, I'll definitely save him._

_Save him…? Save who? I can't remember?_

No, that had been a dream, he thought. He couldn't remember the dream, though. Rain… and an ethereal spirit, blown away by the storm. But it was just a dream, a fantasy.

He shook off the last traces of his drifting thoughts and got up slowly, trying to recall what he had been doing. This was Tiedoll's house. He was on a mission. He was guarding someone… a boy. A pianist? Something like that. He made an irritated noise at his inability to remember the boy's face but quickly ignored it and continued thinking. Daisya… he remembered kicking Daisya out of his room. And then?

Unable to figure out the rest, Kanda sighed and put on his coat. He had probably fallen asleep by accident, he thought as he cursed himself for his own stupidity. If Tiedoll wanted both him _and_ Daisya to guard some kid, it must be important. He hoped the stupid brat hadn't gotten killed already.

To his surprise, he bumped into Marie halfway to Tiedoll's office. Rubbing his nose in irritation, he snapped, "What are you doing here?"

His other foster brother lifted an eyebrow. "Kanda, you weren't paying attention to where you were going? That's rare."

"Neither were you," he gritted his teeth. "Blindness finally getting to your senses?"

Marie chuckled. "Are you developing a sense of humor? No, probably not, huh. Anyways, we've got another mission." He added quickly before Kanda could say anything.

"What? You, too? All three of us to guard one damned bean sprout?"

"What? Oh, no, it's a regular mission. You and I and Lenalee are going. So is the, uh, bean sprout. Why do you call him that, anyways?" The big man lifted an eyebrow. "Do you know him from somewhere?"

"No." Kanda scowled. "Why _do_ I call him that?" he muttered under his breath, but gave up and settled for glaring at his foster brother, who couldn't see him anyways. "Whatever. We're bringing the bean sprout on the mission? Aren't we supposed to protect him or something?"

Marie gave him an odd look. "Not from _those_…"

It sounded like Marie was trying to say something, but Kanda didn't have the patience for puzzles anymore. He simply huffed and resumed walking. "Whatever. We might as well get on with the mission, then. You bring the bean sprout."

His foster brother paused. "… No, I think you should," he said finally. "You haven't heard it yet, right? He's in the music room."

It? Heard "it"? More riddles. "Fine! Whatever." Kanda gave up and stormed off to find the music room angrily, his memory still somehow frustratingly blurry with bits and pieces of a dream that he couldn't quite shake off.

"_Stay away! Just stay away!"_

_I can't. I have to save him._

_ Who…?_

_..._

* * *

><p>Snort. Those of you who've read my other stuffs are prolly getting tired of the name thing by now. But! I only do it once here, so don't worry. Besides, it's important, I think.<p>

Anyways, this was a pretty darn fast update... it's prolly not a good idea to get used to it. xD But then again, who knows?

Oh, I just thought I should throw this out there now: this fanfic operates in the world of everyone-is-bi. There is no sexual identity/homosexuality angst, for several reasons. Firstly, there's already more than enough angst. *laughs* Also, I don't have very much real-world experience with the subject, and I certainly don't have the skill to handle something like that from my imagination. So it's better to omit it entirely than to write it badly and screw it up, in my opinion. That's it.

Anyways, hoped you liked! And thank you to everyone who reviewed! xD Reviews make my heart happy. They're like metaphorical cookies. I like to check my email every few hours alerts, and when I get reviews (and +favs, too, of course) I smile idiotically because it's nice when people take the time to comment on my work, no matter what they say. (Besides flaming, you know, but I haven't gotten any of that yet.) It really does mean a lot to me, so thank you all!

But anyways, yeah. That's it. xD Look forward to the next chapter! And feel free to ask any questions - I'm never sure when I get a bit too confusing with foreshadowing and stuff. As always, thanks for reading!


	4. Tragic Song

**Tragic Song**

…

_"Never forget. Never forget that moment. The tragedy you caused, the curse you cast upon yourself, the endless screams of the fallen. Never forget them, Allen."_

_ "I know! I know! Just… just make it stop. Please…"_

_ "I'm not the one hurting you. I can't do anything."_

_ "...so it… won't end…? It'll never end?"_

_ "When you die."_

_ "But… you said… I can't die."_

_ "That's right. This is the price of your sin. Can you bear it? Without breaking?"_

…

The first, faint notes of the melody made Kanda stop in his tracks. It was a heartbreakingly beautiful song. Without thinking, his feet brought him closer to the haunting music as he strained to follow it, forgetting all about the reason he had come.

The melody drifted slowly upwards with painful sweetness, lingering on the clear, high notes in regretful hesitation before wandering through an eerie minor scale as if lost in the dark woods. It held such deep sorrow that Kanda's breath caught in his throat, and his hand faltered as it hovered near the wooden door. To interrupt seemed…

_He…l…p…_

A memory of a silent plea. His hand flew forward involuntarily to push at the heavy door, which slowly swung open, for all the world like the elegant velvet drapes that rose to reveal the performers' stage. Abruptly, the music stopped at the sound of the door. Fingers trembling slightly, Allen slowly lifted his hands and placed them on the bench. He didn't turn around.

"Kanda…?"

"You know my name," Kanda said unthinkingly before he frowned. Somehow, that seemed important. On a whim, he added, "bean sprout."

At that, Allen glanced at him in surprise, but he caught himself quickly and rearranged his features into his normal, irritating smile. Kanda frowned again. Normal? He had only seen the boy once before, but that smile irked him nonetheless. Quickly, he caught himself. _Don't get involved with other people's affairs._ He spoke to break the silence.

"I have to go on a mission, so you're supposed to go with me," he said, not forgetting to add an accompanying scowl.

"I heard." Allen didn't speak further.

"So hurry up, then. I'm not a patient person."

"I noticed." A half-smile. After a long pause, Allen reluctantly stood up, grabbing a snowy white cloak with a large hood. For a second, Kanda couldn't help thinking that it was the same beautifully soft color as his hair.

"Let's go." Another simple, abrupt comment. Almost as if he was afraid of saying too much. Kanda sighed in irritation and walked out wordlessly.

They traveled briskly to a tall, dark building near the castle, and as soon as Kanda swung the door open, he was assaulted by an eccentric dark-haired man with glasses. The swordsman sidestepped quickly, and the man ended up falling on top of Allen instead.

"Kan…da…" The man groaned. "You could at least have caught me instead of letting me fall…"

"Hmph," Kanda snorted as he dragged the man upright by the collar of his shirt.

With a sigh, the glasses man turned to Allen. "So you're the weird pianist or something? I heard you were going on the mission, but since you can't fight, we'll have to get you proper protection. By the way, I'm Komui, the supervisor of the science department here. Anyways, you know that this is the special sector of the military, right? Sector X." Komui adjusted his glasses. "Under the direct supervision of Duke Leverrier." At the name, Allen's mouth tightened. "We fight—"

"I know," Allen cut him short, his voice tense for once. Surprised, Kanda glanced at him, but despite his voice, a smile was still pasted on his face. Komui was surprised, too, for different reasons.

"You know already? Outsiders aren't supposed to know, but I guess… Anyways, Reever is getting your stuff ready."

Allen gave him a curt nod before following the other scientist.

Komui watched him leave with curiosity. In a short moment, though, he appeared to remember something and turned to Kanda with a childishly delighted face as he pulled something out of his lab coat. "Hey, Kanda, I just finished my latest product! Meet—"

Without hesitation, Kanda quickly knocked the weird _thing_, some sort of mutant wooden duck, out of his hand. It was probably dangerous. Sure enough, it emitted a vile-looking green gas as soon as it hit the ground.

"My baby—!" Komui wailed in horror, his hands flying to his head and tearing at his hat. "Kanda! How could you?"

Kanda snorted. "Why do you even make such weird things?"

"They're not weird! They're—"

"Your children, I know. They're useless."

Komui's hands paused. He was strangely still for a few moments until he finally signed and bent to pick up the deformed duck-thing. "You're right. They're pointless inventions."

"Right. So why make them?"

"What else could I make?"

Kanda scowled. "Whatever it is you usually make that's not pointless."

"Weapons, right?" Komui smiled sadly, fingering his creation absently. "Weapons to kill monsters, weapons to kill people." Stunned at the sudden seriousness, Kanda didn't respond. "I used to be a genius once, you know."

"…once? And now?" Kanda finally found his voice.

Komui looked up at him with an expression deep in thought. "Now...? I guess I'd be a murderer."

A murderer…? Now that he thought about it, even the childish Komui had…

"That's how this world works." Komui sighed and patted the remains of his duck fondly before his voice suddenly filled with good cheer again. "So you might as well have fun while you can, right?" He grinned as he noticed the snowy-haired boy returning. "Oh, Allen, you're back! You look good in that!"

"Doesn't he?" Lenalee had come, and Marie, too. Kanda blinked, noticing that he had been standing motionless like a fool. He made an irritated noise.

"Where are we going this time?" Marie asked Komui, and the supervisor opened his mouth to answer before frowning and blinking. Unable to answer, he dashed off quickly in the direction of the office.

By the time he returned, he was panting. "Woods… East… of city…" He gasped, shoving a handful of papers at Marie. Somehow, he found enough energy to tackle-hug Lenalee one last time before collapsing. "Careful…"

Lenalee smiled. "Of course. I'll be back soon." With a last wave, she hopped down and caught up with the others, who had already started to leave.

She glanced at Allen curiously. "Your hair's quite pretty," she commented, and Allen shifted uncomfortably though his smile was still glued to his face like some sort of parasite. "So you already know what kind of mission we're going on?"

"Yeah…" his voice trailed off, offering no explanation.

"You're not scared? That's pretty impressive."

He laughed weakly. "I'm scared. Who wouldn't be?" _Not really because of normal reasons_, he murmured so softly that Kanda almost didn't catch the quiet words. He didn't think Lenalee had.

The rest of the way, Lenalee made casual talk, but Kanda couldn't quite focus on what she was saying. He occasionally made a small grunt when something was directed at him, but for most of the way, he simply shot glances at Allen's snowy hair. It tugged at his memory, but he couldn't figure out why. Just once, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the boy's silver eyes drifting towards him with a regretful sadness, but the look vanished as quickly as it had come. _Irrelevant_, he repeated to himself. Don't get involved with strangers' businesses.

"Hang on." The paved road had given way to dirt and fallen leaves, and a rustle in a patch of nearby bushes made Kanda jump in front of Allen and Lenalee in alarm. He waited.

Sure enough, two short, rugged men made their way out of the bushes. They looked like soldiers, but the black crosses on their skin marked them out as magic-users. Still, they didn't seem like they had had much power as humans. Involuntarily, Kanda glanced at Allen again, but the bean sprout's cross was concealed by a pair of white leather gloves.

Black miasma slowly started to seep out from the two men's skins and began to envelop them. Kanda didn't waste any time in allowing them to change form before cutting them down. There was sure to be more of them nearby. He glanced at Allen again, wondering if the stupid bean sprout really would be safe, and frowned at what he saw.

Allen's face was impassive, with not even a trace of the polite smile from before on his lips. A light sheen of sweat covered his face, and Kanda saw his throat convulse as he swallowed. He was afraid after all.

"Stay back, bean sprout," Kanda told him. "Those are failed necromancy experiments. Monsters brought back by the forbidden arts. Only cursed weapons can kill them, so you just should stay out of the way. Your stupid magic tricks won't work here." The last words slipped out of his mouth before he thought about them.

"Magic tricks?" Allen seemed to have forgotten his nervousness temporarily as he glanced at Kanda in surprise.

"I don't know. Sleep spells or whatever it is you kids do nowadays." Kanda frowned. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't actually ever seen the bean sprout use magic. Had he? But two more of the revived corpses had come out, and he had no time to dwell on little details.

"They're all magic-users," Allen murmured.

Lenalee had activated her own weapon as she answered. "Yeah, they always are. We don't know why." She shrugged. "There's been an increase in them in the past few years, so we've been getting busier." She quickly swung a kick at one of the monsters that had gotten too close.

Allen watched uncomfortably as the other two fought fiercely. The first few monsters had been relatively weak, but the waves kept getting stronger and stronger. His fingers moved to left hand without thinking, brushing against the velvet that covered his own black cross. The most recent monster to join the battlefield had once been an actual, registered sorcerer. He gritted his teeth. A human who had been powerful while alive would be even harder to defeat as a reanimated corpse. As he watched Kanda dodge several attacks, he gripped his left hand tightly, frustrated. His head hurt abominably, too; it was much worse than usual.

There was a suppressed grunt as Kanda narrowly dodged what could have been a fatal blow. The pressure in Allen's head seemed to increase, and he winced and squeezed his eyes shut for a second. Painfully, he forced an eye open just in time to see the sorcerer lunge at Kanda, who was already off balance from the earlier attack.

He didn't have time to think. His body moved of its own accord, swiftly shielding Kanda against the blow. He noticed the bloom of red on white fabric before the sharp pain of the slash registered in his mind, but the pain was lost in the pain of his throbbing headache anyways. Allen quickly glanced around, ignoring Kanda's outraged cry. There were still four – no, five – of the monsters left. That was fine. He took a deep breath and lifted his hands.

A harsh, eerie chord rang through the forest with an almost physical force, tearing viciously at the remaining monsters. His fingers flew along the keys of an invisible piano, but the faint outlines of each note he struck seemed to shimmer in the air momentarily before he moved on to the next. The music was bleak and jarring, carrying none of the gentleness of the song Kanda had heard in the mansion. It ripped, it shredded, it thrashed at the monsters without mercy, but underneath it all, there was still an inexplicable despair. Kanda glanced at Allen; a tear had run down the younger boy's face, but he didn't seem to notice as he kept playing frantically, desperately, as if possessed.

_Snap._ The last corpse writhed with a piercing howl before collapsing, and Allen's fingers were released, hovering shakily in the air for one last moment before falling as the boy closed his eyes. Kanda quickly caught him before he also collapsed, unconscious. Briskly, and still cursing his own carelessness, he unbuttoned the white shirt that was now stained red in order to get a better look at the wound. His mouth tightened as he stared at the gash, which started right below the ribs and trailed over the stomach. It was bleeding profusely, and in anyone else, it would have been fatal. It should have been fatal.

Without another moment's pause, Kanda gathered the slender boy in his arms and quickly walked in the direction of Tiedoll's mansion, which was, thankfully, no more than ten minutes' walk. That was still far too long. His blood pounded in his ears as he counted the seconds, with Lenalee running after him not far behind. A sick feeling of déjà vu knotted his stomach, but he was too preoccupied to give it any attention.

As soon as he burst through the door, he quickly carried Allen to the infirmary in the east wing, ignoring Tiedoll's horrified exclamations and Lenalee's flustered stammering. One of the nurses took one look at the wound and nearly fainted, but luckily her more impassive partner had the sense to scurry off to find a doctor.

Kanda quickly found a clean towel and filled a bucket with water – they had indoor plumbing in the mansion, at least – and carefully wiped at the blood around the wound. Some of it was already beginning to harden, but he couldn't risk pressing too hard and agitating the wound. Occasionally, he would end up rushing, and a pained sigh would escape the unconscious Allen's lips. He had never made a sound when he was awake.

When as much of the blood was gone as possible, Kanda set the towel down and checked the wound again. He froze in disbelief. Now that the blood was gone, he could see the countless other wounds on Allen's pale skin – bruises and cuts and burn marks that were half-healed, old scars that looked as if they would never fade… He traced a finger along a slash wound that looked much more recent. And familiar.

"Kan…da…?" A weak croak. Kanda's eyes flew to meet Allen's hazy, half-open ones, but they soon closed again.

"Tch." Kanda caught himself worrying, and he shook his head quickly to dislodge such thoughts. He needed to take care of the boy for the mission, and he was obliged to save him because the bean sprout had protected him. That was it. Nothing more.

Eventually, the doctor did come, but by then the gash had already begun to knit together. Kanda wondered why he didn't feel surprised. Perhaps he was just too tired to feel surprised anymore. As the baffled physician left, he sighed irritably and sat back down on the bed, laying a warm hand on Allen's cold, stiff one. Almost like a corpse. Something tugged at his memory – something important. What was it? He sighed again and shook his head. Suddenly tired, he let his eyes close for a moment, promising himself to wake up within an hour as he let himself sink into the comforting darkness of sleep.

Something important. There was something important that he had to remember. That was his last conscious thought as he felt a cold hand brush against his hair.

...

* * *

><p>... Lame ending. Sorry. xD And yeah, I pretty much forgot Lenalee and Marie at the end. facepalms The whole thing felt sorta meh. But the setting up had to happen sometime, I guess. Sigh.

Well, anyways... zombie monster things that are actually dead people come back to life somewhat and an organization that fights them. Uh huh. What, what? This is totally a ripoff of DGM's plot, you say? Nahhhh... Impossible... And just wait, it gets even better later. But that's okay, because this is fanfic. Yeeaah. And besides, there's so much bloody parallelism in this fanfic that I could even say that I'm ripping off myself half the time. Oh, but in English-teacher-speak, they're "recurring themes." Beautiful.

Well, anyways. I promised violence in this fanfic. Here it is. There's even more in chapter 5, so that's something to look forward too. /laughs There's also Tyki in chapter 5, but that's besides the point. And Allen plays... a magical piano... I'm so creative. snort. but whatever. That'd be one sexy piano, that's for sure. Can't you just imagine it? All eerie and shimmery and rainbow-y. Sort of like SHAFT anime or the No.6 theme song or something... maybe. Right, now I'm going off on a tangent. Anyways.

Ask me if you have any questions, cuz that may mean that I need to edit shit. (or that the plot bunnies are coming out) Also, as always, thank you to everyone who reviewed! You're all awesome! I can never say that enough. People who read this but didn't review, you're all awesome, too. xD (But you should review anyways cuz it's kewl. /thumbsup)

Aaand look forward to the next chapter! The plot bunnies are starting to appear.


	5. Cornered Rabbit

**Chapter Four: Cornered Rabbit**

…

"_Never forget that you are cursed. Tainted. Forever tarnished with sin. Anyone you involve yourself with will only get dragged into your suffering. If you love someone, keep them away, far away. Do you understand, Allen?"_

_ "… that's fine."_

_ "Don't get attached to anyone, and don't let anyone get attached to you."_

_ "… What about you? You're here, aren't you?"_

_ "Me? It's too late for me, anyways. I've already been dragged in. I was in this pit long before you were, so it doesn't matter for me. Besides, you don't care about me, and I don't care about you. But when it comes to someone you love… do you understand that?"_

_ "…Yeah."_

_ "I know it's hard. It will be, even if it isn't now. You're still so young. But it'll be better for everyone, including yourself, if you keep yourself away from them. Forever alone. That's what it means to be truly cursed."_

…

A drizzle of sunlight poured through the open window, hitting Allen's face as he slowly opened his eyes. He glanced out at the sky blearily; a flock of geese were flying freely through the vast expanse of blue, their wings brushing against each other as if interlocked. He had heard that those birds always traveled in groups, even when one of them was injured. It was nice, he thought. Did they mourn their dead? Did they wish, however fleetingly, for a beloved one to open his eyes even as cold death passed over his body?

Perhaps, but in this world, only humans could be cursed.

Something silky and soft shifted beneath his fingers. He glanced down and hastily withdrew his hand from Kanda's hair as the swordsman stirred and began to open his eyes. "Bean… sprout?" He muttered groggily, still not quite awake.

In an instant, though, his eyes flew open and he snapped his head up. "Morning already?" He scowled, cursing himself. "Damn it, this is turning into a bad habit."

Allen tilted his head curiously. "What is?"

Kanda glared at him. "It's your fault, too. I swear, ever since I met you, I've been falling asleep all the time."

"Is that so?" Allen blinked. Perhaps it was the memory-sealing spell. That might put a strain on Kanda's body if he tried too hard remember. "Just try to relax," the boy told him. "Don't think too much about things you can't remember."

"Remember? Who said anything about things I can't remember?"

"What? No, it's just that it seemed like you were…"

Kanda stared at him suspiciously. "At any rate, you have a lot of explaining to do."

"Oh, well…" Allen's heart sank. He had seen this coming. Normally, he wasn't supposed to be able to kill the corpses, which were created with black magic. Only more black magic could destroy them, and there was no way to explain Allen's abilities without revealing too much. If Kanda asked…

"Why did you jump in front of me like an idiot?"

"I ac—what?" He blinked. That was the wrong question, wasn't it?

"Seriously, I don't have time to take care of bean sprouts all the time. I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around, so stop making my job unnecessarily difficult. If I'd gotten such a minor wound, I could have healed within minutes, but instead I was forced to take care of you for an entire night." At the end of the rant, Kanda exhaled sharply. He didn't usually speak that much, and it was tiring.

"Oh."

"'Oh'? That's it? That's all you have to say?"

"No, um…" Allen had to suppress a sudden impulse to laugh, though he wasn't sure whether it was from his relief or the comically infuriated look on Kanda's face.

"You could have _died_. Did that not occur to you, bean sprout?"

Allen gave him a strange look. "Died? No, that wouldn't have happened." His hand drifted to the rust-red pentacle on his forehead that was concealed by his hair. "I'm cursed, so unless my curse seal is detached from my body, I won't die. Unless I'm beheaded or burnt to ashes, I'll be fine." _Fine in a certain way, at least_.

"Cursed…?" Kanda's fingers impulsively flew to the seal on his own chest. "That's not how curses work." He gazed at the younger boy sharply.

Allen froze, his blood running cold. He had accidentally let his secret slip. Another mistake. "That's right… I must have gotten confused in the heat of the moment," he said carefully, hoping that Kanda would buy the lie, as impossible as it sounded. "How careless of me."

"Don't give me that shit. I have a curse, and I know how they're supposed to work. What did you mean by what you said? You can't die?"

With a deep breath, Allen drew in his knees. "Yours isn't a curse," he muttered in a low voice. "It's just a bit of black magic sealed in your body. You're still a normal human, untainted."

_Stay away! Just stay away!_

_ Why…?_

Kanda searched his eyes for a few moments, but Allen refused to look at him. Damn kid… drawing him close for a single moment and then pushing him away just as quickly. He grabbed the boy's wrist in frustration and was about to yell something, but a loud knock on the door interrupted him. "_What?_"He all but shouted, exasperated.

"It's me, Kanda." Tiedoll's voice was muffled through the thick oak. The old man quickly turned the knob with a small _click_ and pushed the door open just a crack, poking his head in. "Allen is here, right?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"I'm here." Allen's usual smile was carefully arranged on his face.

"Kanda… if you please?" Tiedoll looked at him.

Kanda still hovered almost protectively by the bed for a few moments, but he seemed to reconsider and sighed, moving over to allow Tiedoll room. The old man nodded gratefully, knowing full well how much trust he had been shown with just that small gesture. He spoke quietly. "Kanda, you don't need to leave, but the things I have to say to Allen… even if you don't understand, don't ask, alright?"

With a scowl, Kanda nodded curtly.

"Thank you." The old man turned to Allen, his voice still soft but now carrying a soothing tone. "Don't be too alarmed. I think you already knew this would happen. The royal family is holding a party tomorrow, and they've requested you as a pianist."

Allen's mouth thinned. "The royal family… by that, you mean the Council of Three, right?"

Kanda's eyes flitted in their direction for a split second. The country had a king, but no one doubted that the Council held all the real power. Whatever was going on, if it involved the Council, it was _big_.

"Officially, it's the royal family, but there's a high chance that it was one of the council members' orders. No, I think it would be safe to assume that it was, since Leverrier was just here…"

Duke Leverrier was one of the Council members, and he was officially in charge of the military. Kanda had never liked the man. He was unpleasant and cruel.

"Naturally, the Earl Noah will be attending… So for that reason, both Kanda and Daisya will be accompanying you."

The Earl of Noah, called the Earl of the Millenium for his eccentricity and powerful sorcery, was another member of the Council of Three. Kanda didn't know much about him, but the man had never given him a pleasant feeling. But at least his question was finally answered – the thing that he was supposed to protect Allen from was actually the Earl… right?

He felt his head starting to spin. The Earl was involved. One of the three most powerful men in the country. No wonder he had thought that the bean sprout was dangerous… If Kanda got too close to this mess, he would definitely be in danger. His job was to guard Allen Walker. Nothing more, nothing less. The secrets, the curse, all of it… he didn't have to involve himself with any of that. And yet…

He glanced up. Faintly, a trickle of sweat formed on the boy's hand. His skin was pale, almost white with what could only be fear, but nonetheless, he was smiling. He was always smiling. It was a smile without any warmth, a smile meant to make people complacent, to push them away gently without their noticing. That was probably why the smile vexed him so much. But maybe that smile was a good thing, because Kanda had a vague feeling that if he ever saw the raw spirit underneath the mask, he would never be able to let it go, even at the risk of his own life.

A dream. The rain. A storm. He shuddered even as he couldn't help himself from trying to remember.

"At any rate, I just needed to tell you the news. Don't worry about it too much… No, it would be insensitive of me to say that. But keep your strength up. You'll need it." Tiedoll gave a heavy sigh and stood up solemnly, patting the young boy on the head before heading out the door. With the _click_ of the door closing, there was a long silence.

"Kanda, you're probably curious about what Tiedoll said, right?" Allen raised his head slightly, and when he turned to look at Kanda, his eyes were unnaturally bright. "I can already tell you what will happen tomorrow," he said, almost conversationally, as if the events would have nothing to do with him. "First, we'll walk into a huge hall. There'll be dinner, of course. You'll see the Council seated next to the king – Millennium, Leverrier, and Cross Marian. We'll be at the other end." He lifted his head as he laughed, but the laughter sounded off, almost edgy.

"Then, there'll be dancing. It's not actually dancing – it's a power game, the noblemen's hunt. At that time, I'll be playing the music, so you and Daisya should just keep close. Sometime later, I'll switch off with the orchestra, and Leverrier will tell me that he wants to pay his compliments. Earl Noah will follow, and perhaps even Cross Marian. Do you see?" He looked at Kanda again.

"No," Kanda told him honestly. This political nonsense didn't go down well with him.

"It's a farce. It's all a grand, beautiful farce. The cats are bored and happy, so they want to play with the mouse a little. 'You can't run,' 'you're nothing but prey.' That's all there is to it. That's why…"

Kanda noticed the change in his tone.

"Don't listen to it. When Leverrier comes, don't follow us, and don't listen to the conversation. Don't look at my face at that time. Please." His voice shook slightly, his eyes staring hard at Kanda with a feverish plea. _Don't watch me, because I'm afraid that I'll be completely humiliated, and somehow… I don't want you to see that._

"… All right…" Kanda swallowed. What else could he say? But he wasn't entirely sure that he could keep that promise. Because, damn it all, he knew that he was worried, and the raw desperation in that voice shook him like nothing else ever had. Kanda Yuu was not a person who let anything or anyone but himself move him, but right now…

Torn, he sighed.

…

"Injured? He was?" The figure that said it was childishly delighted, clapping his hands gleefully. "That's perfect, my darlings! We have a party tomorrow night, too. And I had thought that it would be soooo boring."

"It was only a slash wound. It'll be healed by that time." A second voice, deep and commanding, resonated throughout the dimly lit room. The only light came from a flickering fire in the corner.

"Yes, yes, that's why you should go pay him a visit tonight. It's a good idea, isn't it? I'd _hate_ for little Allen to be alone without anyone to wish him well while he's hurt."

"Is that really necessary? If you really wanted him, couldn't you just take him now?"

"Oh, but he has those nasty guards…"

The second man snorted. "Like that makes a difference to you. Or us, for that matter."

"Hee hee, you're right. But they don't know that yet. It would be bad if they knew that, right? Scared little rabbits sometimes run into walls, after all."

"Fine. Shall I go play with dear little Allen, then?"

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

...what. Why does that sound so... bad. I swear this chapter sounded nicer when I wrote it, but... gah. Whatever. Maybe I'm just being paranoid as usual. xD

Gosh. I can't think of anything to say. o.o I'm such a boring person xD Meh.

Anyways, as always, thank you to everyone who reviewed! xDDD Thank you all so much. w It really does mean a lot to me. And even if you didn't review, thank you for reading/faving. xD (But you should still review cuz it's kewl :D)

Hope you enjoyed~ and look forward to the next chapter (and when you read it... I swear I'm not _trying_ to screw up Allen's life. Sort of. I mean, I know I'm pretty mean to him, what with all the angst and near-fatal wounds but... gah, whatever. Excuses, excuses.

And oh shit. On rereading this chapter it does sound pretty, um, suggestive. Just so you know, there's no lemon, and there never will be. I'm a wimp, after all. Blood and guts I can write, but sex? Hah.)


	6. Night Encounter

**Night Encounter**

…

It was cold and dark. This far away from the city, the sky was pitch-black, but the stars swept brilliantly in every direction, and the moon shone with the brightest and softest light. Allen stumbled as his foot caught on a dip on the rocky ground, and he winced as his hands scraped against the rough pebbles on the dirt road. His warm breath made little clouds of fog that looked almost silver in the moonlight, but they disappeared as quickly as they formed.

He looked up and gripped his white cloak tighter. His destination was just ahead… probably. The forest looked the same in every direction, and it seemed like he had just been walking in circles. With his talent for getting lost, that was a good possibility. Gritting his teeth, he got up, dusted himself off, and kept walking.

A bored voice behind him made him freeze.

"My, my. Getting lost again?" A tall, dark man stepped out of the shadows of the trees. "Well, it's certainly true that this forest is a bit confusing, though. Still, I wasn't happy that you missed our date, you know. I was waiting."

"It's not even time yet. I was getting there." Allen narrowed his eyes. "So it was you who sent the message, Tyki?"

"You couldn't even recognize my handwriting? I'm hurt, dear little Allen."

"You should have just saved yourself the trouble."

"Geez, what hurtful words! After I went to all the trouble of making sure that none of your little guards saw the message, too. By the way, congratulations on getting out without anyone noticing. That was well done. Especially with that pissed-off looking swordsman in your room."

"Leave Kanda out of this."

Tyki raised an eyebrow. "You seem a lot more spirited this time around. Last time I saw you, you were in pretty bad shape when those mercenaries beat you up… Hey, hey, don't glare at me like that. That wasn't our fault. It was that Leverrier person, right? Well, fine, some of the injuries were our fault. Okay, most of them. But we would never be so careless as to risk your _life_."

"Don't give me that crap. You know I couldn't have died from something like that."

"Right." The dark man's teeth glinted in the moonlight. "That's a problem, actually. We heard you got injured last night, but with your healing rate, you'll be good as new by tomorrow. You see how that's a problem, right?"

Allen's breath caught in his throat. "So that's why you called me out."

"Exactly. Personally, I don't see why this is necessary. I would rather just tie you up and bring you back right now without all the fuss, but our dear Earl seems to find that troublesome."

"That would indeed be bad for him," Allen muttered, and Tyki gave him a hard stare.

"I see. So you're in on this, too. Would you care to tell me the details? If you do, I'll play nicely."

Allen laughed shortly. "That's not going to happen, unfortunately." From inside the folds of his cloak, he pulled out a small dagger. With a few whispered words, it began to shimmer faintly in form until it became a broad sword, with a bold cross pattern emblazoned on the glistening steel.

Tyki laughed. "You actually brought that this time? Don't plan on doing your fancy piano thing?"

"That doesn't work on you."

"True, but usually you just take it without fighting back. I remember how you would curl up in a corner ev—Whoa!" The sword slashed at him from above, and he only managed to jump out of the way at the last second. With a grin, he raised a hand dramatically. "That's new, too. Fine, then. I'll take my time with this one."

The sky darkened slightly as small clouds of black began blocked out the stars. Slowly at first, then quickly as swarms and swarms flitted through the night air. Upon closer examination, they weren't clouds – they were small, black butterflies with delicate wings that made the very air shiver with their beating, and they gathered around the tall, dark man with a single mind. _Tease_.

Sweat dampened Allen's skin and made the white leather of his gloves stick uncomfortably against his skin. He felt his grip on his sword slip just a bit, and he quickly tightened his fingers.

"Just give up already. You know that your future has already been decided. This is one gamble that you can't win—the cards are already set against you."

Allen swallowed but didn't respond. As the first butterfly began to drift almost elegantly toward him, he adjusted his cloak and dashed forward, slashing. The paper-thin creature split in two, disappearing as it floated toward the ground. In that same instant, the other Tease began to flutter towards him, creating a deafening wind in the wake of their wings.

His sword sliced through the air desperately as he muttered whispers of an ancient language. Each slash created a faint blue arc that momentarily repelled the storm of butterflies, but there was no end to them. He winced as one brushed against his forearm, but then it was gone. The next landed on his right wrist, and his grip faltered; instantly, there were three, then five, then ten. He gasped as one ate at his chest, and then they were swarming all over him. Trying to defend himself, he curled up and wrapped his cloak tightly around him, but it was no use; they were too small – they found openings everywhere, eating at his flesh, thousands of agonizing tears and rips. Faintly, far away, he heard the sound of snapping fingers, and then the pain stopped momentarily.

"Leave him. It seems he can't move anyways." Tyki stepped back and turned around. Unable to open his eyes, Allen could only follow the sound of footsteps crunching against the dead leaves on the ground.

"Oh ho, look what we have here. A visitor. It's your perpetually pissed-off friend, Allen."

Kanda stepped out, Mugen's cold steel flashing dangerously. "What are you doing?" He hissed at the dark man.

Tyki raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Following orders. But that's fine. I was actually just going to leave."

"The hell you were!" Kanda had already moved behind the other man, swinging his sword with bitter viciousness.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down! I don't have any business with you. Like I said, I'm leaving. You'll probably want to focus on your little friend first anyways." He grinned and leaped back, kneeling down next to Allen's immobile body. Bending down to the younger boy's ear, he whispered, "a parting gift," as his fingers brushed against Allen's body. And then he was gone, melting into the shadows of the forest.

Allen screamed. A sudden, fierce fire ripped at his heart, and he convulsed as blood spewed out from a sudden wound on his chest – no, _inside his body ._ Dropping his sword, Kanda rushed over to the injured boy, prying apart the arms crossed protectively over his body to take a better look at the wound.

His eye widened in disbelief as he saw the tear that ripped through skin and flesh and bone alike. Whatever the man had done, it had _torn apart his heart._ His hands froze. What was he supposed to do in this situation? He couldn't very well carry him back with his heart literally torn to pieces and gushing blood, could he? But there was nothing he could do as far as first aid went.

Decisively, he wrapped the limp body tightly in Allen's white cloak and picked up his sword again before running back, seeing as it didn't really matter whether or not he was careful with the body at this point. _His heart was torn apart_. His fucking _heart_. And yet he was obviously still alive. What was going on? Kanda's breath had grown short and ragged as he had a sick, fleeting thought that the rest of his mission might consist of bringing an almost-dead Allen to the main house daily. This was happening far too much for his comfort.

_If I get mixed up in this, my heart might get ripped apart, too?_ He shivered. The thought chilled his blood. Curse or no curse, he didn't have the power to recover from a crushed heart; he would die for sure. Still, at this moment, he didn't have the luxury of being indecisive. Swearing profusely, he continued to run.

Tiedoll was already waiting at the door when Kanda arrived. The old man ushered them in quickly, pointing them straight to Allen's room. There was no need for a doctor, he said. More like a doctor would be useless in this case.

As the old man worked quickly to clean up as much of the blood as he could, Kanda finally gave up on trying to hold back his questions and snarled, "Old man, _what the hell was that?_ His fucking _heart_ got ripped apart! By a couple of butterflies!" He knew that Tiedoll didn't like his language, but at this point, his shock had surpassed such inhibitions.

"That was probably one of the Earl's family members." Tiedoll didn't look up as his fingers moved with deft precision. "The Earl adopts highly skilled sorcerers from a young age and trains them personally. I can only guess that the butterflies were one of his inventions."

"What's going on? What exactly is it that we're supposed to protect the damn bean sprout from, anyways? Surely not _that_…"

"I don't know for sure. I only received Leverrier's orders. But to think that a Noah would personally come… The Earl must want him a lot."

Kanda's fist made impact with the wall with a loud _crack!_ Alarmed, Tiedoll glanced up, his hand frozen. "The _fuck_ is all of this? This isn't a _game_, old man! His _damn freaking heart_ is in pieces! He should be _dead_, and you can say is that _you_ _don't know anything?_"

"That's right." Tiedoll said finally with a heavy sigh. "The reason they injured him is probably related to tomorrow's party. Whatever happens, be prepared." Without another word, the old man got up, shaking his head, and opened the door with a creak.

Kanda watched him leave, stunned.

"_It's a farce. It's all a grand, beautiful farce. The cats are bored and happy, so they want to play with the mouse a little. 'You can't run,' 'you're nothing but prey.' That's all there is to it. That's why… Don't listen to it. When Leverrier comes, don't follow us, and don't listen to the conversation. Don't look at my face at that time. Please."_

A farce, he had said. For what?

…

"Sir, the Noah have moved."

Leverrier looked up from the files on his desk. "Link. You've been watching Allen Walker?"

"Yes, sir."

"What happened?"

"Tyki Mikk attacked him a few hours ago. His heart has been torn apart, but he's still alive. We believe the attack is somehow related to the banquet tomorrow. It may be a prompt for Cross Marian."

Leverrier raised an eyebrow. "Cross? How is this related to him?"

"We are uncertain, but we have heard that he has returned from his travels and will be attending the feast."

"Hmph." The wolfish man sat back in his seat contemplatively. "So all three members of the Council will be present this time… Anyways, send some spies to monitor Cross and the Earl as well, if you can."

"My apologies, sir, but the spy we sent to the Earl's was found dead the next morning, and the spy we sent to Cross Marian's disappeared without a trace."

"Then send new ones." Leverrier waved his hand impatiently. "They're all replaceable anyways."

Link bit his lip but restrained himself from responding and nodded. "Yes, sir." He retreated into the shadows, silently slipping out the door and heading down the hall.

From above, a small girl laughed silently. "They think they can spy on _us_?" She sighed and shook her head mockingly before a more serious thought crossed her eyes. "Hmm… So it is true that Cross Marian is returning, then…" She placed a finger on her lip in thought. "I'll tell Tyki-pon about this~"

...

* * *

><p>...<p>

Umm. That was a cheerful chapter... yeah. Next one is even better. /thumbs up. But at least there's no more violence for a while, if I remember correctly.

Well, hope you... enjoyed? Maybe that's not the right word. XD Hope you found that interesting. Thanks for reading, and please review! ^^


	7. Lost Kitten

**Lost Kitten**

...

"I will _not_ wear the damn _dress_."

"Calm down, Kanda! It was just a joke." Reever sighed, feeling his life expectancy go down by at least ten years from the stress. "The dress is for Lenalee. She's replacing Daisya as Allen's guard because Tiedoll hinted a bit darkly that having both of you in the same place with nothing to do might end up badly."

"Obviously. It's his fault that he's insufferable."

"Right. That's why Lenalee will be going as your partner for the dance. That way you can blend in."

Kanda glared at him. "No," he said curtly. "I refuse to dance, let alone do it with Lenalee."

Reever sighed again, exasperated. "Fine, then we'll have Lenalee go with Allen, and you can stand in the corner like an angry mushroom."

"That's even worse," Kanda snapped. "Can't you brilliant science guys come up with a proper idea for once?"

"They are proper ideas! You're just too picky! What, you want me to suggest that _you_ go as Allen's partner?" Reever threw his hands up in the air sarcastically.

"As long as I don't have to wear the damn dress," Kanda muttered to himself under his breath before scowling darkly at Reever. "We'll just patrol the hall like normal. Isn't that good enough?"

"Fine, fine!" The exhausted scientist gave up wearily, waving his hand in surrender. "Just do it like normal, then. Wear the damn uniform like usual. See if I care if you get glared at the whole time by stuck-up aristocrats. It's not like I didn't warn you."

"Kanda, what's taking so long? Don't tell me you're actually thinking that you _want _to wear th—Hey!" Allen, whose head had been poking through the open doorway, narrowly dodged a book aimed straight for his head. "Geez, Kanda, that's rude. Didn't anyone ever teach you manners?"

"I could say the same of you." He was about to say more, but he frowned as he remembered that he wasn't supposed to be picking on injured people. "Your wound, is it…?"

"Healed?" Allen raised an eyebrow, unconsciously touching the bandages on his chest. He winced as his fingers grazed against the raw flesh "Not quite. It should be fine, I think… I don't think even the Earl would try anything funny at such a public event. He does, after all, have a reputation to keep. Of sorts."

"Hmph." Kanda didn't quite believe his words, but it wasn't as if he had any other choice.

"Ah! Sorry I'm late!" Lenalee burst in, flustered, wearing the pastel blue dress that Komui had carefully fitted with protective charms. It was simple and easy to move in, but it had a casual air of grace nonetheless. Reever whistled appreciatively. The science department had really outdone itself this time, no small thanks to him.

"Shall we go now?" Allen gave Lenalee a quick smile. "That looks nice, by the way."

"How is this going to work, anyways? I heard Reever say something about blending in by pretending to—"

"No, that plan has been discarded, actually, because _Kanda_ refuses to go in as a guest, so we're going to have to comply with _Kanda's_ selfishness on this matter. If you have any complaints, you can take them to _Kanda_." Reever huffed, looking disgruntled. "Although I suppose we can still have Lenalee go as Allen's partner, and _Kanda_ can patrol from outside."

"No, actually, that's alright," Allen said a little too quickly. "I, ah, think that there won't be much use in watching outside."

"Fine, fine. Ignore my plans, then, both of you. Just do as you wish." Reever sighed, shaking his head. "No one appreciates the science department these days. Go, then. Have fun. Forget all about us."

Lenalee waved apologetically as Kanda ignored them and strode outside briskly to the carriage, with Allen following closely behind. They all managed to squeeze into the small vehicle with some difficulty, though thankfully the large, open windows prevented it from being too stuffy.

"Wah!" Allen almost fell as the horse suddenly began to move, making the small carriage jostle and jump. Kanda snorted before he caught himself and struggled to maintain his usual impassive face. "It's not nice to laugh at people," Allen frowned, a bit ruffled.

"Kanda, be nice," Lenalee said with a laugh.

"It's not my fault the bean sprout looks ridiculous," he muttered to himself under his breath.

Allen glared. "I heard that." Kanda raised an eyebrow and returned his glare with a scowl of his own.

"Um, fighting isn't… good…" Lenalee tried to interject soothingly, to no avail.

"I haven't seen you acting so cheeky before," Kanda told Allen with a smirk. "It fits you better."

"I was injured," the younger boy protested. "It's not like I had any leftover energy for defending my pride and all tha—Wah!" The carriage suddenly jerked to a stop, and the boy almost fell over midsentence. "Damn carriage," he muttered, rubbing his head with a hurt expression.

Kanda rolled his eyes, pulling the fallen boy up by the elbow. "So this is how you get hurt on a daily basis. Still, that was impressive. Falling for the same thing twice."

Allen scowled at him and stuck out his tongue defiantly before snatching his arm back and storming into the hall. Satisfied that he had won the round, Kanda followed with Lenalee.

…

Just as Allen had predicted, the three of them were seated at the end of the table farthest from the king. Even from there, Kanda could make out the members of the Council of Three. The Earl Noah, a short, plump man with a perpetually childish expression was toasting the people around him merrily, while Leverrier wore his usual secretive wolf's smile. Even Cross Marian was present despite his notorious habit for mysteriously disappearing for months at a time. The red-haired man was cooling smoking a cigar while reveling in the presence of several giggling ladies, looking as if he had all the time in the world.

Feeling as if something was missing, Kanda glanced at Allen with a frown. Surprisingly enough, the younger boy was only poking at his food with a bored look on his face. In fact, it was more surprising that he only had one empty plate. Where had the monstrous black hole of a stomach gone?

"Not hungry?" he murmured quietly, raising an eyebrow.

Allen looked up, blinking. "Something like that," he responded vaguely before sighing and resuming his torture of his vegetables.

Kanda narrowed his eyes and, out of pure instinct, looked up. He caught both Leverrier and the Earl looking their way before they both turned aside and continued chatting with their neighbors. Cross Marian had been flirting with a few of the women next to him, but as Kanda's eyes flashed upwards, the man glanced his way for a split second and arched an eyebrow coolly before resuming his conversations.

It was just out of instinct, but Kanda decided that he didn't like Cross Marian. The man was suspicious. At least the Earl and Leverrier were openly evil… in a way. But he couldn't tell what Cross was thinking – he just knew that the man's arrival meant something bad. It was only his instinct that told him that, but then again, his gut had never been wrong.

"Kanda? Is something wrong?" Allen looked at him with concern, and Kanda realized that he had been glaring darkly at Cross for the past couple of minutes. With an irritated shrug, he turned aside as Allen continued talking. "Dinner is ending. I'm leaving for a few minutes. You'll see me later," he told him. "Don't look for me."

Kanda's mouth tightened, but he gave a short nod anyways. With a sigh, Allen rose from the table and walked out one of the side doors in the corners, his step just a little bit unstable. It wasn't until Lenalee elbowed him that he realized that he had been staring into space – again – without noticing.

The guests quickly cleared the hall to proceed to the ballroom, and Kanda waited for Allen to reappear. It took him a few minutes to remember that he was actually here as a performer, and with a irritated exhalation, Kanda began shoving through the crowd to find the stage. There was a piano there, but it was empty. Kanda waited.

Sure enough, after ten minutes, Allen walked on to the dark stage quickly as if to get the whole thing over with. His face looked a little pale, but that could have been the lighting. Either way, Kanda was sure that his fingers were shaking a little when they first struck the keys of the piano with what was almost impatience. Once or twice, he had seen Allen play back in the music room – he had been so absorbed in the lyrics that he almost looked like he was dreaming. His face had been serene, perfectly at peace, almost angelic. There was none of that here – the movements of his arms were stiff, and a light layer of sweat covered his face. His eyebrows were furrowed, and he bit his lip to force himself to concentrate to no avail.

Despite all of that, the music was still as hauntingly captivating as ever. It was in a minor key – Kanda couldn't tell which one – and the eerie echoes of each chord seemed to linger in the air for a moment too long, like a ghost that should have departed long ago. Without thinking, he held his breath as a single note, high and clear, was sustained for several moments. It was only until the note suddenly dropped to a lower octave that he realized his breathing had grown short. Shaking his head, he walked around briskly to clear his head and patrol properly.

An hour later, Allen was still playing. He had already moved through several pieces and was just finishing the last notes of a haunting nocturne before beginning an innocent minuet. Kanda glanced at him. There were faint shadows underneath his eyes, and his movements had grown forced. He was still injured; he needed rest. Nonetheless, he showed no signs of stopping.

A flash of black caught his eye, and Kanda turned to see the man from the night before strolling leisurely through the hall. _Tyki Mikk_, Allen had called him. He narrowed his eyes, suspicious, before finally deciding to follow the man.

"Good evening." As they reached a dark hallway, Tyki abruptly turned around to face Kanda with a disquieting smile. "So you're Kanda Yuu? Interesting, interesting."

Kanda's fingers flew to Mugen's hilt. "What's your business?" He asked edgily.

"Nothing much." Tyki shrugged with mock innocence. "I just wanted to see dear little Allen's new knight in shining armor." He raised his eyebrows with another smile. "I'm not under any orders this time. It's just… curiosity."

"You're an unpleasant person."

"Why, thank you." The dark man laughed. "So are you, I might say. I wonder, what are you thinking with that sour face of yours?"

Kanda scowled. "You talk too much."

"And you, my dear, have such an elegant way with words. I can see why Allen likes you so much." He paused dramatically as he inspected his fingernails.

"Getting impatient, little kitten? You see, I…" he paused thoughtfully for a second. "We. The Noah family, all of us. We hold a very, _very_ deep love for our cornered rabbit. In fact, I would like nothing more than to simply take him back right now, but for the fact that the dear Earl seems to have other plans. Do you understand what I mean, lost little kitten?" Tyki leaned in to draw his face closer as if to emphasize his question.

Kanda narrowed his eyes. "That's a load of bullshit. You don't rip the heart out of someone you love."

"No, no, that's not the point. I don't think you understand. I'm not talking about that sappy sweet honey-stuffs you read about in fairy tales at the like," Tyki wagged a finger. "No, no, it's much _darker_ sort of love, you see. Not at all pure, not at all sweet. Completely and utterly human in nature. Isn't that nice?"

Kanda's mouth tightened. "Stop speaking in riddles and just say what you want to say."

The dark man lifted a gloved finger to Kanda's face. The swordsman flinched, but did not move away as he continued to glare. "I wonder, little kitten… I wonder, indeed, whose love is more poisonous? Mine… or yours?"

Kanda's eyes widened as Tyki Mikk suddenly laughed and jumped back, melting into the shadows even as his laugh continued to echo in the dark hallway. Frozen, it took Kanda several moments to move again as he heard a chilling whisper linger in the air.

"_Perhaps you ought to try and find him just about now…_"

...

* * *

><p>I should say something here, but I ran out of interesting things to say. Not that what I say is ever terribly interesting, but whatever. Reever needs more screen time in the canon, though. xD<p>

/dies. I sort of dislike this chapter. But maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Well, anyways, hope you enjoyed, and please review! xD


	8. The Sin of Love

**The Sin of Love**

...

"Allen Walker… That was truly a… fine performance." Leverrier's mouth curled in a predatory smile.

"Thank you, Your Grace," Allen responded tersely. His eyes were beginning to blur, and he was having trouble keeping himself steady, but he maintained the tight smile on his face nonetheless.

"Would you like to continue speaking in a separate area?" Leverrier raised an eyebrow expectantly. "The Earl Noah would like to pay his compliments as well."

Allen nodded curtly. "Certainly, Your Grace." As he stood up, the floor seemed to spin and give way for a second, but it was soon solid again. A bit shakily, Allen followed Leverrier as he passed through several doors and hallways.

"My dear little Allen!" The Earl bounced excitedly in his chair like a child who had just received his Christmas presents. "How nice of you to stop by! I always did _love_ your playing. Road wasn't able to make it today, though, and she was _ever_ so unhappy with that."

"Thank you very much." Allen's voice was still tense. "If that is all, may I leave, then?"

"Already?" Leverrier chuckled darkly. "But we've only just begun to talk. Do sit down, Allen. We can… reminisce together. Along with the gracious Earl." He shot a hostile sideways glance at the plump, cheerful man.

"Yes, yes, delightful!" The Earl laughed, unaffected by the glare, and Leverrier's smile darkened a little.

"No, really, it would be presumptuous of me to take up any more of your time." Allen slowly edged closer to the door as he spoke.

In a swift, casual motion, Leverrier moved between the door and Allen, graciously putting a gloved hand on the boy's shoulder and steering him to a soft chair. "No, no, we insist. You are such a… talented performer."

Stiffly, Allen sat down, his smile carefully pasted to his face. He tried to be inconspicuous as he wiped a trickle of sweat off his forehead, but Leverrier almost certainly noticed. "Is it getting a bit too warm in here?" He asked with feigned innocence.

"No, it's fine."

"Well, at any rate, Allen, I haven't had the opportunity to chat with you properly in a while. How's your family?" Leverrier asked smoothly.

"My family?" Allen kept his gaze downwards. His voice shook just a little.

"Ah, that's right, pardon my insensitivity. You've been through some rather… rough times, haven't you? First, your adopted father died, and then you were taken in by Cross Marian… I've heard that he isn't exactly a very, say, virtuous man."

"Now, now, don't forget that Allen dear stayed with us for a while!" The Earl piped up from his comfortable seat. "Road and Tyki have been missing you so sorely, indeed. I believe Tyki got a bit lonely and decided to visit you yesterday, even."

Allen kept his mouth tightly shut.

"I do believe Tyki got a bit overexcited, though… he can be a bit rough with his toys. How's that little scratch? Though you're a strong boy, dear Allen, so I'm it was nothing, right? Perhaps when you're better, I can let Road have a visit, too…"

"I'm sorry, Earl, but Allen is currently under _my_ supervision right now. I'm afraid that even your family will have to follow proper procedures if they wish to visit," Leverrier cut in smoothly, a challenge in his voice.

The Earl raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? But dear little Allen is part of _my_ family, Duke. You could even say that he _belongs_ to me. He—"

"…enough." A low whisper. Allen's fists were clenched so tightly in his lap that they were completely white. "Stop…"

Leverrier turned to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"I understand your point. I'm completely under your power. A tool, a puppet, whatever. I know already, so stop it… Just leave me out of this pointless power feud already…" Without waiting to hear the response, Allen stood up abruptly and walked out the door, slamming it behind him; neither of the men moved to stop him or give chase.

As soon as he rounded the corner of the hall, he noticed an unmistakable silhouette in the darkness. With shock, he realized who it was. "Kan…da?" His whisper barely audible, he sank to his knees in disbelief. "How long…" he swallowed. "How long have you been here?"

Kanda bit his lip. "A while," he admitted. "I met Tyki and he said something… so I went to look for you and…" He trailed off, aware that his excuse was a bad one.

"I thought I told you not to come." Allen's voice was shaky from shock, from humiliation, from betrayal. "_I told you not to come!_" He could already feel the suppressed tears straining against his control, and he quickly turned, his throat hurting, and hurried away before they could spill.

"Wait! Allen!" Kanda moved to follow, but a sudden, rough hand on his shoulder made him freeze. For the first time in his life, he felt his blood go cold.

"Don't." The smell of tobacco smoke was unmistakable. Kanda whirled around to find himself face to face with Cross Marian. He glared at the man.

"What are you doing? Let me go!"

"Don't. You'll just make it worse."

"… What?" Kanda stared in disbelief.

The man sighed and tapped at his cigar impatiently. "You're just a curious little cat trailing along and sniffing at an interesting little secret. You're useless. A burden. The only thing you can do is drive the stake farther into Allen's heart."

"What do you mean by that?" Kanda hissed.

"You think you're his guard or whatever, but you need to take a closer look at who's protect whom here. Do you really think you can even so much as protect him physically from the Noahs? From Leverrier, even? If I recall correctly, all you've ever done is carry his bleeding body back."

Kanda had no reply. He could do nothing but stare.

"On the contrary, my stupid apprentice has gone to every length to protect you, knowing that just by being assigned to him would endanger your life. He keeps pushing you away from his dangerous secrets…" _and even wiped your memories, despite how much that hurt him_, "and all you can do is keep on sniffing around like an idiot cat with too much curiosity for its own good. For once, Tyki Mikk was right. Your love is more poisonous than it is sweet." Cross snorted. "It can't even be called love, whatever it is that you have. You're still waffling. Uncertain. Your uncertainty could kill him."

"That…" The blood was pounding in Kanda's head. He hated to admit it, but he couldn't find anything to reply with.

"Stupid cat, remember this. If all you're going to do is tag along halfway and ditch him when you're done, you and him would both be better off if you had just stuck to your own business in the first place. You're just scum that doesn't have the resolve to stay with him the whole way through."

Kanda took a shaky step back. It was true. He had been waffling. He had been keeping a distance from Allen even as he wanted to get closer, afraid for his own life. He was a coward. That was it. And yet… would he really do as Cross said? Would he really just abandon Allen halfway?

He thought of Allen's face as the younger boy had walked out of that room, the shock and hurt and pain on that face. A face that had precious few smiles on it. He knew that if he left that face as it was, he would never be able to live with himself. Love, or whatever, he didn't know about, but… "I just want him to smile normally," he muttered. How many times had he been able to talk and laugh and argue with Allen casually? How many times had he seen a real smile on the younger boy's face? And he realized that he would do anything to keep that smile on Allen's face forever.

"I wouldn't leave him." His voice was shaky, and he said more resolutely, "I won't leave him." If for no other reason than that would hurt far too much to do so. He glared at the red-haired man defiantly one last time before turning and hurrying off into the darkness after Allen.

Cross watched him leave as the smoke from his cigar trailed slowly into the air before fading and disappearing into nothingness. "That's his decision, huh…" he muttered absently to no one in particular.

"When you spoke of scum that doesn't have the resolve to stay with him the whole way through," Cross jumped as a female voice echoed from the shadows of the hall. He turned around in time to see an elegant, confidant woman appear, a somber look on her face. "Were you talking about yourself, Cross?"

He laughed softly. "General Cloud! You look as beautiful as always."

"Don't dodge the question, Cross."

He was silent for a few moments before he shrugged. "I am scum," he said finally in a low voice full of disgust. "I know perfectly well that I'm going to abandon Allen halfway, and yet I still try to protect him. It's despicable."

"Are you still telling him that, then? 'This is the price of your sin…' How long are you going to lie to him? How long are you going to make him think that it was his fault?"

Cross' fist slammed into the wall. Several pieces of ash from his cigar broke off and drifted to the ground, still glowing red. "What else am I supposed to say?" He asked in a hoarse voice. "Shall I tell him that all of his suffering, all of his pain, is nothing but the results of a couple of worthless power struggles and the mistakes of piece-of-shit man? _All of his pain until now?_ For something as worthless as that? It would be better for him to have a purpose, for him to think that he is living to redeem himself."

Cloud regarded him evenly. "He can live his life starting from now," she said slowly. "And so can you. You still haven't forgiven yourself for your mistakes?"

Cross laughed bitterly. "How can I? Every day, every night, I keep the results of that sin besides me, and yet I don't have the heart to let it go. I'm a cowardly man."

"It's not a sin to love."

His mouth twisted. "That's what you think. Maybe love itself isn't a sin, but being a human in love is. Do you know that I've only made two mistakes in my life? One was Maria, the other was Neah. One I kept too close, the other I pushed too far. And now? Allen is about to become the third."

"If you already know it's a mistake, why can't you fix it while you can?"

"Because _I don't know how!_" He shouted with frustration. "I can't! If I want to save Neah, I _must_ sacrifice Allen! But he's innocent, Cloud! He's just an innocent boy who was born with the wrong power and met the wrong people! What can I do? I love Neah, and I love Allen, the both of them. But I… I…"

Cloud sighed. "It's only partly your fault that things turned out this way. It would be arrogant of you to assume otherwise. Besides, Neah is already dead. Which do you want to save more, the living, or the dead?"

"But he's _suffering_. Neah is _suffering_."

"And Allen is not?" Cloud shot at him. "This is pathetic, Cross. You're whining. If you have time to whine, _do something_."

Cross looked at her with regret. "… I'm sorry. I can't abandon Neah. Not when I have a chance to fix things."

Cloud narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she said finally. "I am not allowed to interfere with this matter. But I do not think that Maria would have been happy to see you like this."

Cross turned away, exhaling heavily as the click of her heels on the tile floors faded away slowly. "I'm sorry, Allen," he said, his voice low.

…

Allen lay in the cool, soft grass quietly. His raw throat throbbed with every breath, and his chest burned as the skin chafed against the bandages every time he inhaled. Inside of his body, he could still feel his heart knitting together, reminding him that he was already half corpse, in a way; if he were a complete, untainted human, he would be dead by now.

What does Kanda think of me now? he wondered. The conversation hadn't been enough to reveal anything too important, but he hadn't wanted the proud swordsman to see his pitiful expression. Even worse would be the look of disgust that Allen could already imagine on Kanda's face if he ever found out about Allen's past. He was pushing Kanda away to protect Kanda, but even more to protect himself. And yet, it already hurt so much to push him away. What a dangerous situation.

"So this is where you are, stupid apprentice." Allen smelled the smoke of Marian's cigarette even before he heard his voice. "Today, I met an idiot cat named Kanda Yuu."

Allen froze.

"He seems to have developed quite an attachment to you. No doubt he's still wandering around, looking for you at this very moment."

Allen waited.

"And I think that you have developed a bit of an attachment to him as well." A stream of smoke trailed out as Cross exhaled. "Does it hurt?"

"… Yeah." Allen mumbled. "I broke the promise."

Cross Marian glanced at him sharply. "You shouldn't trust me, Allen. When the time comes, I won't be able to save you. I've told you that already."

"I know." He had never expected the man to.

Cross sighed. "Two weeks. I'll give you two weeks. For that time, you can do whatever you like with the stupid cat. When the time is up, I'll take you with me to some faraway place until you can sort out all of your feelings."

Astonished, Allen sat upright. "What do you mean?" He asked in disbelief.

Cross glared at him. "Don't get used to it, stupid apprentice. I'm saying that, just this once, I'm going to save you. It's not permanent – Leverrier has his intelligence network, and the Earl has his Noah and magic tricks. But until you can sort out your feelings, I will save you." _It's atonement, _he thought to himself. _For the inevitable day when I abandon you._

"Two weeks? I have two weeks to do whatever I want?" He still could not quite comprehend Cross' words.

"Stop echoing me like a parrot," Cross growled. "It's annoying, stupid apprentice." He flicked his cigar in irritation before turning around to walk away. "Remember," he called back. "Only two weeks."

Dazed, Allen watched as his figure became fainter and fainter until it melted into the night. A feeling of lightness suddenly filled him. _Two weeks._ For two weeks, it was okay to get close to Kanda, to touch him and feel his warmth. _But when it's over…_ He shook his head. It was too soon to think about that yet. He inhaled the crisp, cold night air slowly, reveling in the sensation. It burned his throat and his chest, but for the first time in a long time, he was thankful to be alive.

...

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OHSHITTHISISLATE. Sorry, guys. You have permission to shoot me and throw my dead body in a ditch. I have an excuse, of sorts, but it's not a good one. Okay, so basically I uploaded a chapter of one other story, and then somehow I hallucinated myself uploading this one, too, and it wasn't until literally now that I was like... huh. Weird. I'm one chapter behind OHCRAPIFORGOT.

8I So yeah. That's how it is.


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